“Are you okay, man? You’re being way too agreeable.”
“Is that even a thing?”
Rob laughed. “When it comes to you, yes. You sound…off.”
I didn’t need Rob worrying about me too. Ian and Ellen already stared at me with pity. Or was it fear? I couldn’t tell. Either way, I didn’t like it. “I’m fine, just dealing with some personal stuff.”
“Is the troll still giving you problems with the divorce papers?”
That was one of his favorite topics to discuss. And normally I just ignored him, because the specifics didn’t really matter. But they did now. They were the only thing keeping me away from Penny. “Yes, actually. She won’t return any of my calls. I want this thing finalized.”
“You really gotta just go over her head. Surely Papa Pruitt would love to talk contracts with you. Vom.”
Holy shit. I sat up in bed. Over Isabella’s head. That was my way out of my marriage. Isabella’s father was the perfect person to talk to. We could come to some kind of agreement. “You’re a genius.”
“I really don’t hear that enough. Feel free to say it again.”
“I gotta go.”
“A double complement was asking too much. See you in a few days. Or weeks. Or hours.”
That’s annoying. “See you then.” I hung up the phone. It would only take me a couple hours to get to Mr. Pruitt’s apartment if I was the one driving. I emerged from my bedroom, not bothering to shower or change out of my sweats.
“Good heavens, James, where are you going?” Ellen said as she saw me walking toward the elevators.
I looked down, suddenly worried I was still sporting that boner from when I was daydreaming about Penny earlier. I wasn’t. The thought of seeing Mr. Pruitt had gotten rid of that. So I had no idea what she was upset about. “I’m driving up to New York. I’m not staying the night or anything. I’m driving there and then back.” I just needed to get this thing done. Because as soon as I did…I could have Penny again.
“No you are not.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re drunk.”
I just stared at her. “No I’m not.”
“You’ve been drunk all week.”
It had been a while since Ellen had seen me like this, and she was seriously off her game. Just because I looked depressed didn’t mean I was drunk or high off my mind. I was just in…withdrawal. “I haven’t had an ounce of liquor since the weekend.” Well, technically Monday morning. And maybe a little Wednesday. And just like…one drink this morning. I wasn’t spiraling anymore. But seeing Penny in class was fucking torture. All I wanted to do was reach out and touch her. And I couldn’t. Not yet.
Ellen didn’t need to know that though. The point was I was sober enough to drive right now.
“I’m calling Ian.”
“I can drive. I swear. Look.” I rubbed my tummy and patted my head at the same time. An act of pure coordination that could only be performed by a sober individual.
She stared at me like I’d lost my mind.
In her defense, I probably had. But I used her sudden shock to bypass her and step onto the elevator.
“James!” she yelled after me.
But the elevator doors were already closing. I breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the side of the elevator. And then I was picturing pressing Penny’s back against the wall of the elevator. Fuck. I ran my hand down my face. Images of her haunted me. All I wanted to do was recreate every scene playing out in my head. Again and again. Maybe I’d be able to tonight.
If I could convince Mr. Pruitt that his daughter was better off without me, I’d be free to start things up again with Penny. And convincing him wouldn’t be hard. I could just act like I was drunk when I showed up or something. Or offer him money. I was pretty sure that was the only thing the old man cared about. He’d never liked me very much anyway. He was friends with my parents, not with me.
When the doors opened, I wasn’t at all surprised to see Ian standing there with a pair of car keys in his hand.
“Ellen says we’re going on a day trip to New York?”
It wasn’t worth fighting him. I literally couldn’t. Every part of my body was too tired to fight him off. Except for that one part that kept popping up whenever I thought about Penny.
But for the first time since we’d ended things, I finally had something else to focus on. One damn signature would set me free. Free to do whatever I wanted. And I wanted to do Penny. I smiled to myself.
Ian waved the keys in the air.
“Fine.” I brushed past him. It would give me time to call Mr. Pruitt in the car. Besides, Ian’s car didn’t smell like Penny. It was for the best, unless Ian wanted me to have a boner the whole ride. And I was pretty certain he did not.
But as soon as I sat down in his car, I pictured fucking Penny in my car. I’d been desperate for her after our fight. I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t resist.
Just a few more hours. As soon as I was back in Newark, I’d reach out to her. I’d win her back. I had to. Ian was quiet as he pulled the car out of the parking garage, letting my thoughts wander. The farther away we drove from Delaware, the harder it got to breathe.
Each minute that passed it got more and more obvious. I really didn’t care about Penny’s age. Or that she’d lied. Or any of it. All I cared about was her. And every mile farther we drove, I missed her more and more. I never wanted to be apart from her again.
***
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Ian asked as he pulled into a spot outside Mr. Pruitt’s apartment building.
Mr. Pruitt said he had time to talk at 8 tonight. Ian had driven us around the city in circles as we waited. I had nowhere else I wanted to go while I was here. I just wanted this divorce to be finalized so I could…
What? I smiled to myself as I pictured knocking on Penny’s dorm room door. Telling her the good news. Her sinking to her knees. My fingers buried in her red hair.
Yeah. That would work. God, I loved the way she worshipped my cock. I used to think that Delaware was my fresh start. But that wasn’t true. It was Penny. I ran my hand down my face. Isabella not signing the papers was the last thing tethering me to New York. I needed to cut ties with the city that had almost killed me. And the woman who I despised.
“I’m sure,” I said and unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Do you want me to come up?” Ian asked.
“No. This won’t take long.” I climbed out of the car and slammed the door. Mr. Pruitt was a dick. But I was pretty sure he hated me as much as I hated him. Surely he’d be happy to oust me from his family. He’d actually sounded a little excited on the phone. Maybe contracts were his Penny. Breathe.
The air wasn’t fresh here. But it did bring back memories. How many times had Rob and I been forced to go to the Pruitts’ place for dinner? Or on holidays and other special occasions? A chill ran down my spine as I opened the door to the lobby. I hadn’t been here in years. Isabella and I didn’t spend much personal time together. Which meant I hadn’t attended her Sunday family dinners. Or any of that nonsense. We lived separate lives. And now I just wanted to make that even more separate. Permanently separate.